Footwear and method of making same



Aug. 29, 1933. J. E. TABER 1,924,663

FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 21, 1931 JM/y 1f. Z2 bar Patented Aug. 29,

I UNI ED John ;E. Taber, S outhJ'Bend, ma assighar to Mishawaka, Rubber'and; woolen jManufactur ing- Company,Mishawaka, 1116.; a corpo'ration of Indiana My invention relates t rubber footwear wherein an expansiblej-portion is provided to permit inserting and removing vthe foot'and has refer with. aportion of the facing cut out to expose:

the. liningfor application of -the poc ket portion of theexpansion unit thereon; to -provide an expansion structure which may be advantageous: 1y employed in constructing a high top boiot pt} form. fitting;;type; and in eneral f-to provide a I simple; convenient and serviceable expansionarrangement which t-insures a neat.clos, efitting waterproofboot or .overshoe.

nection with a'high top rubber-boot, although it is not necessarily limitedto ;that 1 particular type'of rubber.-footwear':- i j g 'i::: Fig.. 1. .-s ar'persp'ective ,view offa rubber boot constructed in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a perspectiveoview 'of the lower portion o f the last Lwith; :the booty lining, assembled- 3 Fig: 3' is ausimilar view shcwingthe boot u pper" furtherassembl'ed and; ready-for;thegexpansion pocket unit, to be applied' thereon; 5 Fig. 4 "is a "front view; 'of;the assembled pocket unit with" portionslbroken awayo show details 'oftheconstruction;

t portions ,thereof likewise'ibroken awayg and Fig; 6isia'n enlargediragmentary sectional view 0 Referring to .the drawingi ithe reference nuassembled on. this use and "preferably consists around the last and has the edges fjoine'd to-,v

portion 3Q of li'ning is then arrapgqa over 'tne t'oeandvamp portionjof the last'soasto overlap theiorward edge of theilininglportion 2: ta whic it is cemented, and the bottom edges vor this Id a j j -On the drawing in which I have, 1 pose :of illustration shown myinventionincon-f n a a fitionfroni the'restiof the lining, may-'oficourse Fig. 5 is a back view,;of thepocketunit with merall indicates the last upon which the boot a sembled t e pp or o of 'the'i t .ble n j broken away'. in Figs. 2 and 3,7, The} lining first of. a one pi'ece upper porti'on"2 which is drawn vamp covering and vamp lining3 arealso lastediover thein'sole A one piece rubber covering iris then;;applied;,- around the last, cementedto thelining-and joinedfq ,f l

together at the back, said rubber: covering being-i formed with an openingpart way up the front; a.

with inwardly extending strap likepOrtibllsfi-EUH the bottom of thisopening whichare joineditoa i g'ether over the instep as indicated ,gatfirsoasL 5 to'form an elongated:closed 'lopening 7 in the front of the rubber-coveringA which extends j j upwardly from a point vjus tkalciove the ibottorn of theinstep to a' pointwell above the, ankle,

substantiallyfaslshown injFigJg3, andexpbsesajZQJ a A corresponding area of; the linin'gwtowhich the back wall 1 of the vexpansion ;p0clzet unit is subsequently applied-.1

A toe covering 8 of lrubberfis" then I cemented;

ontoa-th'e toe and l'ower vamp portion ofntheilin-Jlfii ing'. and adhesively secured u in overlappingres lation to the forwardedgeof the rubbercovering4, as shown infliiguB, and the lower edgesj ofiboth'rubbercoverings liandifi are alsolasted over the insole; 'After this is completed a stitch; wheel is along the lateral edges of the'open- :5

ing 7to-partially-putthrough the"liningimme I, I diatelyrinside-thiese,edgesgbut these lines of par};

'tial severance, which are'provided td-pe mit-the intermediate -portion"of-lthe'lining, to be sl me-"'35 quentlyl-torn ,apart; along the edges, do-not ex-' tend entirely tov the upper-and lower ends of the; opening 7 but are terminatedat' adistancej therefrom, substantially 'at the points AandB,

of ,Fig.- 3", 'toleave the said intermediate vportion 3 Q of theliningjsecurely attached at its uppercjand Q lower ends to thegrest of the lining'ghThisfpara w I tial' cutting of the aforesaid'intermediate p'or- I be provided before the rubber coverings 4 and; 8

are applied-the line of partial'severanc'e at one of the linin'g side of the intermediate-portion being indicated at 9 in -Fig.- 2;;

The expansioniunit is tlienapplied to 'thi's asf 61" 1 sembled structure, said unitrbeing' prepare in the manner shown in Figsltifand fi. This unit comprisesfa back wall lQ of rubber composition, offl a' shape corresponding to but of fa size smaller than the opening'llof the assembled u perfex 165 4 "5 cept .at' the lower end where it' is providedwith an extension L1I which-projectsdown over 'the Oftwo palrts whichithe assembled unit are 8,; and this unitfhasairontl'fwall which extends nearly-to the 'inner edge of the adapted to be separatedupon completion of the boot toform the side flaps 12 and 13 thereof.

This front wallcomprises a pair of side members 14 and 15 of rubber composition which are laid together edgeto-edge along the line 16 of Fig. 5 and joined together. by the fabric tape 17,'the latter havinga rubber-tape 18 somewhat the outer side" of each side member 14 and 15 a reinforcing 19 and .20' respectively is adhesive ly secured thereto, these'fabric'members, howf ever, being narrower than the respective rubber members 14 and 15 and arranged so that their widerthan the tape 17, laid thereover, andon inner edges are spaced outwardlya substantial distance from the inneredges'of the rubber lay-f ers 14 and 15.' I I The members 14, 19 and 15, 2Q .which are flared. at their lower ends to correspond to the flared formations 21 and" 22 of the lower {ends of the boot flaps 12 and .13, .are-joined'a'long their outer edges and atthe top to'the corresponding edges of the rubber composition back wall 10to form an expansion'pocket; thegback wall 10 prefer- I ably being'smaller than the assembled frontwall 14-15 as'shown in Figs. 5 and 6 so that the edges of the front wall'14-15 project outwardly beyond the corresponding edges of thebackwall 10. In

the lower end of this pocket member a reinforcing 23 of rubber composition is adhesively secured to the front of the back wall 10 with a portion 24 extending downwardlyover and projecting beyond the extension 11 of the wall 10,

and this reinforcing 23' has side portions 25 folded inwardly along the junctures of the walls Hand 15 with the wall 10 and adhesivelysecured to theunde'r sides of the walls 14' and,.l5.'

Each of the fiapportions 12 and 1310f the boot is made up as a part of the expansion unitand subsequently applied with this; unit onto the as- 'sembled-boot structure of Fig. 3," the flap"12 be-;

- ing composed of a layer 26 of fabric whichlis secured along the inner edge to the rubber layer 7 edge of the rubber layer 14'.

14 at a distance from the inner edge'of the' latter as shown in Fig. Band this layer 26 of fabric has another layer 2710f fabric secured'thereon rubber layer 14 and on this fabric' 27 .is an outer layer '28 of rubber whichiextends to the inner The outeredgeof' the" fabric 26 extends well beyond the outer edge of thelrubber part 14 and the outer edge of the fabric 27 entendsbeyond the 28ext'ends'beyond the edge of the fabric 2'7, all ,5

outer edge of the fabric 26' while the" rubber as shown in Fig.5 so that the edge of the com posite flap member 26, 2'7, 28 is of'a somewhat feathered form. The other flap member is v outer rubber layer 31,.the flap members. 12 and made up inlike manner of fabrics'29andf30 and 13 being preferably provided =with-rfullness at the sidesto permitathese flap members to readily conform to the shapeof the boot wall.

After the expansion unit has been prepared in the manner above describedthe back wall 10 of, the pocket memberra'ndthe edge portions of the front wall l4- l'5 which project around the 1 bac-kwall IOarecemented to the exposed p'ortion of the lining inthe opening '7 (See Fig. 3)

andfthe lining, extension'll, 24 of thegpocket member'is cementedonto the overlapped ends 5 of the rubber covering 4- and-onto the upper portion of the rubber toe covering 8, fanarrow width ofexposed lining bcing'left. al'bng each. side of the pocket member substantially where thelining' is partially severed at '9, this exposed theopening '7 and thereby avoid consolidation-of the rubber of the pocket member with the rubwidth being provided to separate the pocket member along the lateral edges from the corresponding portions of the rubber covering 4 along ber covering 4 along thelines ofseveranceq After the back wall. of the expansion pocket has been cemented to the liningthe outer edges of the flapsv 12 and13'are cemented to the rubber covering 4 along'the iouter'side's' of they respective lines of severance 9 and the joined top ends of these flaps likewise cemented to the rubher 4 and all-rolled down firmly in place, thereby;

assemblingthe expansion unit ontothe assembiedjboot upper. w

Aniouterto'e covering 32 is then cemented onto the toe portion of the assembled boot and; is proj'vi ded with a pointed portion '33 which extends up betweentlie flared lower extremities of the flaps 12 and 13 and also has side portions .34 which extend backfalong the'sides ofthe'foot portions" of the boot. An outer heel-covering 35 is also ce;

inentedf in place with" side portions overl'appin'g the rear ends of the'sideportions 134- of the toe covering 32, and the side portions of b'oth the heel and toe coverings preferably overlap the lower portions of the flaps 12 and 13 'substantiaL- the lines9- so that the expansion pocket 'member pansiorlipocket member, the lining'is torn along may be expanded and the boot removed from the,

,last. 7

Any desired-fasteners may be employed for fasteningthe flaps12 and 13 together, a lacing 3'1 f being shown in the, present caserf If the .lacingis to be employed, eyelets 38'areprovidedat'suitable intervals-along. the flaps 12 and13 as shown. I 'While I have-shown and described my invention in apreferred form-,I am awarethat various changes and modificationsmay be made'therein Y y the appended claims. J 1 Sflaim as myinvention v '1. In'an article of rubber footwear the combination of anupper having a cut out area'at the front, arr-expansion pocket member located in; and of an area to be containedwithinthe cut out area, anda pair iofopposed laterally extending 3 without departing from the principles of my in-' vention, the scope of which is, to be determined wings-joined along their inner; edges to the front of the expansion pocket'member and vulcanized along their outer edges to the'upper'atthe outer sides of said cutgout area. i q

. 2. In an article of rubber foot .wear, the com bination of an upper having a lining offabric and a facing of rubber, the fabric having a. portion thereof partially 'severed at the front and the rubber facing being omittedoverthes'aid partiale ly severed portion of the lining fabric; and an 'ex-# .pansionpocket member having a back wall securedjto said partially severed; portion -cf the linin g and a-front wall of separable sections secured along their outer edges to theouter edges of the back wa ll, and a pair of opposed laterally extendingwings joined along theirinner edges to the respective inner. edges of theseparable sections of the frontwall of the expansion pocket memf 1 ing a rubber front wall of separable sections secured along-their outer edges to theouter edges'f facing being' omitted over said elongated integral portion of the lining, and an expansion pocket ingfabric. r p v 3. In an article of rubber footwear-the coinbination of an upper having a fabric lining and 1 r a rubber facing, the said; lining having an elon-"I gated integral portion thereof at the front severed 7 h 1,924,658 :1 bet, and the outer edges of said wingsbeing vulcanized to the rubber facing ofv the upper around j the aforesaid partially severed portionof the line along laterally spaced lines from the portions of the lining at.each side thereof and the rubber member having a rubber composition back wall secured to said elongated lining'portion and havof said back wall, and a pair of opposed laterally extending wings of fabricreinforced rubber joined along their inner edges to :the separable sections of said front wall and the outer edges 'of "said wings being vulcanized to the rubber facing'beyond the lateral edges of said elongated portion of th'efabric lining. I I l 4. In a rubber boot the combination of a fabric lining, a rubber facing extending around and omitted over, an elongated portion of the lining at the ankle and instep, and an expansion pocket member secured to said elongated portion of the lining and having mounting means thereon vulcanized to the rubber facing around said elongated portion of the lining. v a v v 5. The method of making rubber: footwear. which includes assemblingon a lasta form fitting upper having a fabric lining and an outer; facinglayer of rubber, applyinglan expansion pocket member to the frontof "the assembled pocket member.

ber.

upper, and vulcanizing the outer ed s. of wings j a members on the front of said expansion pocket member externally to the rubber facing of rthe upper beyond the lateral edges ofthe expansion 6. The "method of making; rubber footwear which includes forming an expansion jpocket' which includes providingthe upper on the-last with a cut out area at, the front then applying in the cut out area anfexpansion pocket; member of "an area to'be contained within the cutout; area, and vulcanizingflto theupper atea'ch side-of the cut out area the outer marginal edges of a pair of laterally extending wings thatare attached along i V their inner edges 'to'the frontofthe pocket mern 8.=The.method of makinga rubber boot with an expansible portionat the ankleand instep;

which includes, assembling the fabric lining a and rubber facing of the boot upper on a last with a portion of the upper omitted froman area along the ankle and instep,then applying-to said area an expansion pocket member with a pair of opposed laterally extending wings, and thenrvul- 'canizing the outer edges of said wings to the'rub- 'ber facing at opposite sides of said area. i

/1 1 11o, [JOH EgTABgRj j 

